CALL FOR EVIDENCE
The Orgreave Public Inquiry has been formally launched by the Government.
Please contribute to the inquiry & circulate this information & print leaflet off if you can to give to people who don’t use computers & smartphones
THANK YOU
“For more than four decades, miners and their families have been forced to live with unanswered questions. Today, I am formally launching the Orgreave Inquiry to uncover the truth of what happened.
“I pay tribute to the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, the National Union of Mineworkers, and all those who campaigned so tirelessly to reach this moment” – SHABANA MAHMOOD, HOME SECRETARY
ORGREAVE TRUTH and JUSTICE CAMPAIGN STATEMENT:
We are pleased that the Government is finally launching the start of the Orgreave Inquiry after their inquiry announcement last July 2025.
While we are disappointed that it has taken so long for the Home Office to come to this stage, we are relieved that work will now begin to establish the truth about the Tory government involvement and police conduct at Orgreave on 18th June 1984 during the 1984/5 miners’ strike.
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and supporters have worked hard over many years for an Orgreave Inquiry and it has been a long and difficult journey.
Our determination and tenacity has however received much support from many individuals, organisations and the Labour and Trade Union movement, whose wonderful solidarity has made it possible to continue and be able to come this far.
This is a statutory inquiry, with the Terms of Reference and panel membership established by the government. We have however tried our best to influence the process to ensure this does not become a police-led inquiry but one shaped by the miners and their experiences.
This 42nd anniversary year of the miners’ strike reminds us that we must never forget the importance of that great strike to defend an industry, jobs, trade unions and communities and the fight for all our futures.
We are indebted to the striking miners and their families for their dedication and sacrifice to that year-long struggle that changed all our lives forever.
The 1980s Tory cabinet of Margaret Thatcher, Leon Brittan, Nigel Lawson, Norman Tebbit and others, along with their secret “Misc 101” Committee, planned to destroy the British coal industry and organised labour, the National Union of Mineworkers, its leaders Arthur Scargill, Peter Heathfield and Mick McGahey and the British labour and Trade Union movement.
Kevin Horne, striking miner arrested at Orgreave on 18th June 1984 said: “We know that the Tory Government of the 1980s was directly involved in the miners’ strike while professing ‘non-involvement’.
“The Tory Ridley plan of the 1970s exposes how far they were prepared to go and the 1980s Tory Government put vast amounts of public resources into the implementation of this plan. This was state sponsored organisation against the miners and our livelihoods.
“The Tory’s own archives confirm Parliament and the public were knowingly lied to but their involvement in the strike and the policing of it has never been publicly acknowledged.”
John Dunn, striking miner assaulted by the police and arrested on a Derbyshire picket line said: “The mass media colluded with the Tories by lying in their headlines and reports about what was really happening, or not reporting it at all. Their collaboration in these government and police lies and coverups continues to this day, demonising and vilifying strikers and protesters.
“The raw footage that the many media companies and photographers have of police attacking miners at Orgreave and other footage of police violence and harassment throughout the strike must be handed over to this inquiry.
“The injustice faced by us miners and our communities has never been acknowledged by the state and instead they and the media have lied and covered it up. The right to strike and the right to protest should be a fundamental human right”
Kate Flannery, Secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign said:
“We need answers about the systemic violent and lying behaviour of the police. We need to know about plans of how police officers on the ground were briefed and how that briefing came about.
“We need government and police papers releasing that have been embargoed until 2066 and 2071. The police have recently still been destroying vital evidence needed for this inquiry.
“This is of great public interest and concern and is about a government who actively worked against its own population and handed the police paramilitary powers and destroyed an industry in the process.”
Chris Peace, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign activist said: “Orgreave marked a turning point in the policing of public protest. With no accountability of policing at Orgreave, a message was sent to the police that they could employ violence and tell lies with impunity.
“This set a culture for violent militarised police to run riot throughout mining communities and villages all over Britain. It also enabled a culture for the police to maintain many lies and cover ups in 1989 at Hillsborough. The Hillsborough campaigners are still fighting for justice to this day”
Chris Hockney, Chair of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign said: “It is important that due to the age and health of many miners we quickly secure a public acknowledgement of why and what the state did to the miners and our communities.
“We have to have hope that an inquiry of full disclosure should influence the future behaviour of the state and public officials and that the inquiry panel and resources committed to this inquiry will establish truth and justice.”
The campaign will be encouraging as many people as possible to come forward with information to submit to the inquiry once more details about how people can contribute has been revealed by the Chair and inquiry team.
otjc.org.uk/orgreave-truth-and-justice-the-case-for-an-inquiry/
Since setting up in 2012 the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) have worked relentlessly to place on the political agenda the urgent need for an inquiry into the role of the police and government during the miners’ strike at the Orgreave coking plant on 18th June 1984 and why neither the police or government have ever been held to account.
An inquiry should give clear answers to:
– who was responsible for organising and ordering the deployment of multiple police forces, including mounted police armed with truncheons, shields and dogs, against striking miners?
– who and how was it decided that striking miners should be attacked and arrested at Orgreave and charged with riot and unlawful assembly, which carried heavy prison sentences?
– why has the police operational order for police deployments that day disappeared and other evidence been destroyed or embargoed until 2066 and 2071?
The revelations about the role of South Yorkshire Police (SYP) in the Hillsborough tragedy after the report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in September 2012, the Inside Out television programme of October 2012 highlighting fabricated evidence by SYP against miners charged at Orgreave and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report of May 2015 indicating the need for a wider inquiry into policing at Orgreave, gave further impetus for why the OTJC rightly believed that the case for an inquiry was absolutely necessary.
The Conservative Government repeatedly refused to hold any kind of Orgreave inquiry.
Labour Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper has recently been exploring the key issues for an inquiry / investigation such as the scope and format to ensure it best meets the needs outlined by various stakeholders including the OTJC, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), lawyers and politicians.
We are pleased that the Home Secretary has now ordered that an independent inquiry with statutory powers will finally go ahead and we look forward to meeting with the Chair of that inquiry to discuss the draft terms of reference of the inquiry.
OTJC Secretary, Kate Flannery, said: “We have waited a long time for this day and this is really positive news. All these years of hard work by the OTJC and our many supporters has helped to influence this constructive announcement.
“We appreciate the Labour Party’s 9 year commitment to holding some kind of Orgreave inquiry. We now need to be satisfied that the inquiry is given the necessary powers to fully investigate all the aspects of the orchestrated policing at Orgreave, and have unrestricted access to all relevant information including government, police and media documents, photos and films”
Kevin Horne, miner arrested at Orgreave said: ““It is now over 41 years since a paramilitary style police operation was planned at Orgreave and it is important to remember that some of the miners attacked and arrested there are now dead and many others are old and ill.
“We need a quick and thorough inquiry with a tight timescale so that surviving miners can at last obtain the truth and justice they have been waiting for. Plenty of information exists and has already been obtained to give an inquiry a substantial head start”
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper said: ““I pay tribute to the campaigners who never stopped in their search for truth and justice, and I look forward to continuing to work with them as we build an inquiry that gets the answers they and their communities deserve.”
Orgreave Justice campaigners say the The inquiry should:
This is an historic and momentous announcement, and the OTJC looks forward to the next stages and the inquiry commencing as soon as possible.
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) today release a new report: ‘Orgreave Truth and Justice: 40 years on, the case for an Inquiry’ which contains some new information recently uncovered – including public statements of police and government vs the truth of their private acts.
Orgreave represents one of the most serious abuses of power by police and government in this country’s industrial and trade union history, the truth of which has never been told or acknowledged by the State.
Instead, successive Conservative Governments and senior police have worked to cover it up. It is important that the truth is established via an independent inquiry and that the police and government are brought to account.
Today, a copy is being hand delivered to the Home Office, and the major political parties on the 40th anniversary – 18 June 2024. Courtesy copies are being sent to the Cabinet Office. A further copy shall be delivered to the new Home Secretary following the election.
To help restore public trust in government and police, through an inquiry, the OTJC wants:
• the public to know the truth;
• to reset standards in public life;
• to reinforce the operational independence of the police;
• to reset democratic diligence in public office;
• a public acknowledgement and apology.
Due to the age and health of many miners impacted we need to quickly secure an inquiry and a public acknowledgement of why and what the State did to the miners and their communities.
Orgreave, 18 June 1984 represents one of the most serious abuses of power by police and government in this country’s industrial and trade union history, the truth of which has never been told or acknowledged by the State.
Instead, as this report confirms, successive Conservative Governments and senior police have worked to cover it up. Many files remain unexamined or inaccessible to the public until at least 2066.
Patrick McCarroll, Miner at Orgreave said: “At Orgreave I was terrified. Anyone that says they weren’t is a liar. We were in the field, near the back. There were dogs everywhere. I was chased all the way. The dogs were barking, I ran across the railway line, away from them.
“I ran and ran, there was an Asda, I ran through that, there were horses chasing men through the car park. There were people hiding up trees, people trying to hide everywhere”
Kate Flannery, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign Secretary said: ““It is important that the truth is established via an independent inquiry and that the police and government are brought to account for their actions at Orgreave on 18 June 1984.
“This day is particularly significant as it shines a light on what was going on in mining villages and communities throughout the year-long 84/5 miners’ strike. With the National Archive files released it is obvious that Conservative Prime Minister,
“Margaret Thatcher’s involvement alone is enough for an inquiry into Orgreave on 18 June 1984. There are STILL many government files held back – some of which are under lock and key until at least 2066. An inquiry should reveal what is in those files and what has been held back for 40 years.”
Kevin Horne, Miner arrested at Orgreave said: “There has been no accountability of policing at Orgreave. This sent a very clear message that the police could employ violence with impunity.
“This must surely have set a culture for the police cover up in 1989 at Hillsborough. The police lied in their statements and in court about what they did at Orgreave. We want the answers to questions about the lying and violent behaviour of the police. “We want to know how police officers were briefed and why they were not held to account by the Director of Public Prosecutions or their own employer.”
An inquiry of full disclosure can help to right the wrongs of the past and influence the future behaviour of public officials. An early and suitably empowered inquiry into government and police action in relation to events at Orgreave on 18 June 1984 is essential.
Before and After Coal: Images and Voices from Scotland’s Mining Communities
Portrait gallery, Queen Street, Edinburgh
23 March – 15 September 2025 – Admission Free
It’s 40 years since the Miners’ Strike in 1984. To commemorate this historic event, a new exhibition at the Portrait gallery in Edinburgh explores the history and lasting impact of coal, through photographs and voices from Scottish mining communities.
Opening tomorrow (Saturday 23 March), Before and After Coal: Images and Voices from Scotland’s Mining Communities is the first exhibition of its kind to be held at the National Galleries of Scotland.
This free exhibition is a celebration of Scotland’s mining history, created in collaboration with mining communities from across the country, artist Nicky Bird and the National Galleries of Scotland. Support has been provided from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland, the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and the Scottish Government.
Before and After Coal: Images and Voices from Scotland’s Mining Communities takes over the Portrait’s Robert Mapplethorpe Photography Gallery and the adjacent Upper Great Hall until 15 September.
There are over 70 objects to discover, including photographs, banners, contact sheets, personal mining memorabilia and video footage, all documenting real lives and lived experiences.
The exhibition is a tribute to Scotland’s mining history, told by those who shaped it, lived it, and continue to be impacted by it. Hear stories from miners about their work, families and the remarkable community spirit of mining towns and villages. Through film, audio and anecdotes, they, and those who live in the communities today, express their feelings about what has changed since 1984 and the legacy that has endured.
In 1982, American photographer Milton Rogovin came to Scotland to capture images of Scottish miners at their pits, in their homes and during their leisure time. Born in New York in 1909, Rogovin was one of America’s most significant social documentary photographers.
Initially training as an optometrist, he was profoundly affected by the Great Depression which swept across America throughout the 1930s. Turning to photography to express his views, Rogovin used his work as a medium to show the often-forgotten faces in society.
Now, artist Nicky Bird has revisited and updated Rogovin’s photographs through her project Mineworkings, meeting with former mineworkers and their families who were connected with the original images taken during Rogovin’s time in Scotland.
Originating from research starting in 2018, Mineworkings was granted support from Creative Scotland’s open fund for individuals in 2023, made possible with funds from the National Lottery.
Through community outreach work from 2021 to 2023, the National Galleries of Scotland also conducted a series of workshops and events with people from former mining communities in Fife, East Ayrshire and the Lothians.
Participants shared the stories behind Rogovin’s photos, as they recognised their fathers and mothers, grandpas and grannies, workmates and friends. Some even saw themselves, 40 years on.
During the National Galleries of Scotland’s workshops, former miners and their families posed for portraits in front of the original Rogovin images, some donning orange miners’ overalls and helmets in tribute.
These photographs, together with video footage, banners and other objects on display in the exhibition, tell the stories of life in Scotland, Before and After Coal. Local school students in former mining communities also contributed to the development of the exhibition, volunteering their thoughts about Scotland’s mining past and the impact it has had on them today and may have in the future.
See Milton Rogovin’s original photographs on display for the first time, side by side with Nicky Bird’s updated images, highlighting the stark contrasts and nostalgic similarities of a life before and after coal mining. Works on display include portraits of former miners such as Place and Return with Jim Rutherford, 2023.
Living and working in East Ayrshire, Jim Rutherford was photographed by Milton Rogovin during his visit to Scotland in 1982; an image Rutherford had long forgotten about and only saw for the first time during the Mineworkings project.
Striking a similar pose, Jim was photographed again, this time by Nicky Bird in 2023, over 40 years on from the forgotten Rogovin image. Displayed together, these images show not only the inevitable changes that are brought with time and the disappearance of an industry, but also the enduring similarities that shine through people and the places significant to their stories.
Visitors can also see work created for the exhibition by the community engagement participants and local school children within Scotland’s mining communities.
Reflecting on the past and considering the future, the participants have interpreted Scotland’s mining story in their own way through film, song, physical objects as well as iconic protest banners – a lasting and instantly recognisable element from the miners’ history.
The documentary film After Burn (2024), which presents the experiences of former miners and their families from Fife, Ayrshire and Midlothian, forms a central part of this community outreach work.
On display to the public for this first time, the film gives a first-hand account about what it was like to be a miner, or live within a mining community, and what has happened to those communities now the mines are gone.
The voices of younger people are also weaved into the exhibition, as they consider today’s challenges of global heating and online culture – in contrast to the miners past experiences. Harnessing their creativity and inspired by the mining roots of their hometowns, this new generation of school children have used ‘the art of protest’ and rap videos to express themselves.
The exhibition is accompanied by a free audio guide, which includes stories from former miners involved in the development of this exhibition and Paula Rogovin, Milton Rogovin’s daughter. Authentic anecdotes, reflective thoughts and infectious humour throughout the audio guide will elevate the messages behind the work on display, bringing visitors even closer to the people at the heart of this exhibition.
The commitment to community outreach will continue throughout the exhibition’s run, and into the future. Visitors to Before and After Coal will be able to record their thoughts, memories and feelings sparked by the exhibition on a memorial wall within the gallery space, building on the legacy of the Mineworkings project.
There will also be an opportunity to step into history and prepare for a day down in the pits with replica miners’ overalls and helmets available to try on.
Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “Working with Scotland’s mining communities on this remarkable project has sparked a new way of creating an exhibition at the National Galleries of Scotland.
“It was integral from the beginning that Before and After Coal should be created by the experts – the people who have experience of living and working in the mining communities across the country.
“This free exhibition is the story of mining in Scotland, told by those who lived it; real stories told by the people who are in them and reflections from generations who are still impacted by what’s gone before.
“From the initial show and tell sessions, through to the development and now opening of the exhibition, there has been an unwavering passion to harness the community spirit that is so important to those whose lives have been shaped by coal mining.
“Each participant is at the very heart of Before and After Coal, and it simply wouldn’t have been possible to bring this show to life without their input. Thanks to all of them for trusting us with their history, as well as the unwavering commitment, thoughtful insight and infectious humor that they’ve brought in abundance!
“We can’t wait for our visitors to discover the images and voices of the Scotland’s mining communities and hope they will join us in sharing their own memories of this important, and ever-relevant, era in Scotland’s history.”
Nicky Bird, artist and creator of Mineworkings said: “It has been a real privilege working with such a range of brilliant individuals and community groups across Ayrshire, Midlothian and Fife.
“The generosity of time and willingness to share stories, memories, and experiences with me has been incredible. Without them, it would not have been possible to retrace the journey that Milton and Anne Rogovin made in 1982 – but more than that – to understand what this means today.
“There has been a very real and urgent sense that ‘the time is now’ to make sure that mining history and its legacies, in all its complexity, is not forgotten.”
Before and After Coal: Images and Voices from Scotland’s Mining Communities opens at the Portrait gallery in Edinburgh on Saturday 23 March 2024 and is free for everyone to enjoy.
RECALLING THE EXPERIENCES OF DURHAM WOMEN DURING THE MINERS STRIKE
NORTH Edinburgh Arts are excited to be working with Transgressive North to host two screening events at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre as part of The Folk Film Gathering!
On Monday 12th June at 6pm we have the pleasure of hosting the Amber Collective for the Scottish premiere of their dynamic tribute to the women of East Durham, who kept their communities afloat during the Mining Strike of the 1980s.
A powerful story of resilience, solidarity and survivorship – Amber Collective’s remarkable film (screened here along with the Scottish premiere of their latest short film) is a moving testament to enduring community.
The film willl be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers.
Book your FREE spot here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/…/amber-collective-screening…
A double-screening event of the Amber Collective’s 2021 feature doc WHAT HAPPENED HERE, alongside their 2022 film STILL HERE.
Monday, June 12 · 6 – 8:30pm. Amber’s remarkable film (screened here along with the Scottish premiere of the Collective’s latest short film) is a moving testament to enduring community.
The film willl be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers.
Book now:
https://www.eventbrite.com/…/amber-collective-screening…
A Bill which would pardon miners convicted of offences during the 1984-1985 miners’ strike is to be scrutinised by a Scottish Parliament Committee.
The Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee is seeking views from the public, academics and other interested stakeholders on the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Bill.
If passed, the Bill would automatically pardon those convicted of offences which occurred during the course of a miner’s participation of a picket line, demonstration, or other similar gathering in supporting the strikes or while travelling to or from a picket line or demonstration.
Recognising the strain placed on police and community relationships during the strike, the legislation is an attempt to bring reconciliation between those upholding the law and those who were fighting to protect their jobs, livelihoods and communities.
Committee Convener Joe FitzPatrick MSP said: “Many of those who took part and were convicted for their participation in the miners’ strike have had to live with the consequences and the resulting stigma for decades.
“This Bill seeks to provide some closure to communities across Scotland by pardoning those found guilty of certain offences during those bitter disputes.
“As we launch this inquiry, we want to find out if this legislation is the right approach to achieve reconciliation and right those historical injustices or if there are alternative ways we can reach that goal.
“In seeking views to aid our scrutiny, we particularly want to hear about how far the proposed pardons go and whether they cover the right people and offences.”
The call for views closes on 14 January 2022 and you can share your views here:
https://yourviews.parliament.scot/ehrc/miners-strike-pardons-bill
FREE PUBLIC EVENT / SCOTTISH BOOK LAUNCH & SPEAKER EVENT
for new edition of
Shafted: The Media, the Miners’ Strike and the Aftermath Continue reading Book launch – Shafted: The Media, the Miners’ Strike & The Aftermath (new edition)
‘To investigate and report on the impact of policing on affected communities in Scotland during the period of the miners’ strike from March 1984 – March 1985’.
Scotland will lead the way in the UK in ensuring the experiences of those affected by the Miners’ Strike in the 1980s are properly understood, the Justice Secretary said yesterday. Michael Matheson has ordered an independent review into the impact of policing on communities during the Miners’ Strike, from March 1984 to March 1985. Continue reading At last, the truth: Independent review of policing during Miners’ Strike announced
